


Shut your stupid mouth...

by Zeckarin



Series: And they were roomates... (but there were two beds) [53]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gabriel is a wanker, Gen, Heaven is Terrible (Good Omens), Protective Crowley (Good Omens), the bodyswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 07:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30052164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeckarin/pseuds/Zeckarin
Summary: Since Crowley told him about it, Aziraphale can't stop thinking about Gabriel's words during his failed execution in Heaven...
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: And they were roomates... (but there were two beds) [53]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1523585
Comments: 10
Kudos: 62





	Shut your stupid mouth...

**Author's Note:**

> So in this universe, Crowley had tried to keep Gabriel's "shut your stupid mouth and die already" a secret.  
> But in one of my whumptober ficlets our demon got hit by a cursed pollen (no, not that kind^^) and said all sorts of awful things to Aziraphale, including that sentence.
> 
> If you want to read the pollen ficlet, here it is. I wondered for a moment if I should put it here as a chapter one. Tell me what you think about it! No idea if it's the right thing to do.
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26738095/chapters/65518642

It happened sometimes around noon, on a very ordinary Thursday. Crowley was idly posting comments on a conspiracy chat group that had every member growing feral and would surely create a rift between long time friends before the end of the day.

That’s when Aziraphale, who had been carefully restoring an old war journal, asked his question.

“Was it really true, or were you lying?”

Crowley blinked. Looked up, then around in search of an eventual customer. The bookshop couldn’t be emptier.

“Are you talking to me?” he asked, frowning slightly.

The angel squirmed uncomfortably. “Oh, I… I apologise, my dear. That was very straightforward of me to bring that up that way.”

“Bring _what_ up?” wondered Crowley, his frown deepening.

Aziraphale smiled wanly. “Nothing. Never-mind, it’s just silly.”

Then he looked down to his desk and got back to his work.

Crowley never had been the sort to let go, and would certainly not after hearing something so concerning.

He always had tried his best _not_ to lie to the angel, and Aziraphale knew that very well, so his question would already be worrying without his use of _contractions_.

“Angel,” he started, waiting for his friend to look up again. Crowley had stopped wearing his glasses in the bookshop a long time ago, and he knew Aziraphale could read him like one of his books*. “Aziraphale, this clearly is important to you. What are you talking about? What lie? When?”

*To be honest, the angel didn’t even need the glasses to be off for that.

The angel sighed, and offered a small, apologetic smile. “When you got hit by that awful spell, dear. You know, the one meant to create discord...”

Crowley grimaced. Didn’t he remember. “Angel… you know I wasn’t myself--”

“I know,” his friend cut in hurriedly. “I know you didn’t mean it, but… you said something about Gabriel, and--”

He trailed off and looked back at his desk. Crowley cursed inwardly. He’d known this day would come. To be honest, he’d expected it way sooner. _Shut your stupid mouth and die already_. He had tried to keep Gabriel’s words a secret, and would have without that stupid curse. Aziraphale had to ask at some point.

“I never wanted you to know,” he said softly.

“So it was true, then,” murmured the angel to the battered war journal.

Crowley tried his best never to lie to his friend. He wouldn’t start today. “Yeah, it was. He really said that. I’m sorry?”

Aziraphale’s expression hardened. “You do not have to apologise for them. You know, I have always thought that Heaven was right. That they were doing the _right_ thing.”

“Yeah, I know you did,” said Crowley softly.

“But there were only Archangels at my trial, and it is clear that no one else in the Host knew about it. And now I know they didn’t even let me speak. They asked me to—to shut up and just die.”

Crowley grimaced. “Aziraphale...”

“You know, Beelzebub asked _you_ if you had any last words,” chuckled Aziraphale mirthlessly.

Crowley didn’t have a heart (he was a demon) and that was a good thing because this would certainly have broken it. You could count on Beelzebub to act with a minimum of courtesy just the _one_ time it would hurt more than being a cold-hearted bastard.

“Angel,” he started, but Aziraphale shook his head with a sad smile.

“Oh do not misinterpret my words, dear boy. They intended to destroy you. But at least they had the decency to make it public.”

Crowley looked at him straight in the eyes. “You deserved better, Aziraphale.”

The angel got up and walked to the marble bust he had kept these last hundred and fifty-two years. On the bust’s neck, Heaven’s medal shone brightly. Crowley hated the thing, it reminded him of the day Gabriel had tried to bring Aziraphale back to Heaven and replace him with Michael. But he understood why his friend had kept it. It was the only reward he’d ever received after all, as bitter-sweet as it had been to get it. Slowly, the angel reached out to take it off the bust’s neck, and looked at it with a deadpan expression. In a blink, the medal crumbled to dust.

Aziraphale turned to his demon and smiled. It was a small smile, but to Crowley it felt like a breath of fresh air after days underwater.

“Dearest. I _had_ better. I still do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write this since the pollen story... Aziraphale needed some kind of closure after that.
> 
> Of course Hell isn't any better than Heaven (they killed that poor usher just to test the Holy Water!!!!) but at least they didn't lie about the "trial".  
> Heaven is awful and is hiding it from his own employees. Hell is awful and embraces it^^


End file.
